Vehicles like tractors and trollies can only be allowed to carry goods and not people. Any violation of it can attract penal provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act, said Union home ministry in an advisory to the states. In states like Haryana and agricultural belts of Uttar Pradesh, tractors and trollies are the usual modes of transport, particularly amongst the Jat community.
The MHA advisory to the states comes at a time when Jat agitators are ready to storm the Parliament with 25-30 lakh protestors, ready to march to the capital on March 20.
The MHA has shot off a five-point advisory cautioning the states to take all possible steps to ensure there is no open sale of petrol or diesel in these states. At the same time, it has said vehicles like tractors and trollies which carry goods should not be used to ferry people across state borders.
The ministry is all set to clamp down on agitators as it has asked states to not allow congregations and impose Section 144.
The Centre has also advised states to ensure that law and order is maintained and protestors are detained much before they enter the capital and carry out their march to the Parliament.
The Delhi police will have a tough task at hand, given that class 12 students have exams and would be travelling to exam centres across state borders of UP and Haryana. The UPSC will also conduc its examination around the same time.
The MHA has also asked states to filter traffic movements and plying of buses in a way that normal traffic flow is not affected. At the same time, the protest should not be allowed to spill onto the streets.
However, the All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti is unrelenting and has decided to boycott any call for talks by the Haryana government.
"We will only talk to the Central government when we reach the capital," says Yashpal Malik, president of the Samiti spearheading the agitation.
Speaking to THE WEEK, Malik said that they waited for the Haryana chief minister to speak with them on Thursday, but he did not come for any meeting.
"It was only later that he expressed his willingness to meet us, but then we decided to boycott the meeting. We will only talk to the Central government," he said.
Malik said that it was up to the government to impose section 144 , but they will not buckle down and are ready to face arrest.